We are now two weeks away from the trade deadline, and most mid-season transactions occur in the final 14 days before the clock strikes 3:00 p.m. ET at the deadline. The pace is already accelerating, as seen by recent major agreements between the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors, the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets, and the Miami Heat, Raptors, and New Orleans Pelicans.
For the Brooklyn Nets, there appear to be a few realistic rumors: Mikal Bridges is not available, but Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O’Neale, and Spencer Dinwiddie, the team’s three 30-year-old players, are. They also do not want to pay the luxury tax this season due to potential salary cap management considerations. Moreover, according to multiple NBA writers, the Nets are tight-lipped about their intentions.
Finney-Smith and O’Neale, the Nets’ two 3-and-D forwards, have been linked to a number of teams at the price of two first-round picks (or player “equivalents”) for DFS and one for O’Neale.
Prior to the last news cycle, the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Milwaukee Bucks were viewed as the leading contenders for Finney-Smith’s future services.
According to Vecenie, O’Neale’s team options are the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers, Bucks, and Mavericks.
Then, on Thursday, Sam Amick of The Athletic told the Sactown Sports podcast that the Kings are interested in both due to any glaring issues with a key member of the Sacramento squad.
On Thursday morning’s episode of The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross, Amick, a former Kings beat writer, expressed confidence that the two are Sacramento targets.
“This is a bad defensive team that is trying to get better, and those guys could help,” Amick added. He didn’t say who was on the Kings’ roster or what draft compensation the Nets would be looking for.
Indeed, in his trade rumor roundup, Vecenie writes that Brooklyn is fostering confusion about its ambitions.
According to league sources, no one knows exactly what direction the Nets will go. With all of the draft picks they’ve acquired from other clubs, they’re still in a strong position to trade for a star. However, because they do not have control over their own future draft picks, tanking is not an ideal solution.
He also stated that, while O’Neale is a guy who a “real contender would love to have coming off its bench,” the Nets’ estimated first-round pick price is unattainable.
I don’t think O’Neale will return a first-round pick, but he may provide some lower-level draft capital to a Nets club that needs all the young talent it can get, regardless of the franchise’s general path.
Meanwhile, Mike Scotto of Hoopshype spoke with Jovan Buha, The Athletic’s Laker beat reporter, about Dejounte Murray rumors on Thursday. The Hawks point guard, who reportedly likes the possibility of playing in Brooklyn, is more likely to move to Los Angeles, according to Buha.
“To me, he’d be the most likely trade outcome right now if I was handicapping the odds,” Buha told Scotto in a telephone interview. “I believe they are the favorites to sign him. Again, the biggest challenge right now is finding that third team.”
Buha was referring to the well-traveled notion that the Hawks would be willing to accept a trade with the Lakers if only L.A. could find a third team to take on Russell’s contract, which has $36 million and two years left, assuming he exercises a player option this summer.
Scotto speculated that the Nets may be the third team, accepting DLo and possibly a younger prospect in exchange for their readiness to broker a Lakers-Hawks trade. The Nets have two massive trade exceptions at $19.9 million and $18.1 million, as well as two other large TPEs for $6.8 million and $4.5 million, which they may employ to play the facilitator role.
“Some people wonder if the Brooklyn Nets would be willing to take Russell back with Spencer Dinwiddie being involved in a trade to either the Hawks or the Lakers,” Scotto stated. “He’s a proven point guard with an expiring deal. But I’m not convinced Brooklyn wants Russell to do that.”
According to rumors, the Nets believe the Hawks’ asking price for Murray, which includes two first-round picks, is excessive.
On DFS, Buha told Scott that the Lakers are interested, but Finney-Smith is getting a lot of attention. Buha appeared to waver on whether the Nets could obtain two firsts for Finney-Smith, initially indicating he questioned it but later saying that with the competition for his talents, he could “command” what the Nets want in return.
“There’s going to be a lot of competition for Dorian Finney-Smith,” said Buha. “I read that the Nets want two first-round picks for him. That is a lot. The Lakers do not have two first-round picks to trade, but you can throw in (Jalen) Hood-Schifino, who is halfway through his rookie season. You can also use a pick switch to reach that price point. Are you doing this for Finney-Smith? I don’t believe so, at least from the Lakers’ perspective…
“Right present, there are far more buyers than vendors. “Caruso and Finney-Smith can command two firsts.”
Vecenie also mentioned two additional players the Nets would be interested in: Zach Lavine, the Bulls guard that Chicago is essentially attempting to throw away, and Miles Bridges, the controversial Hornets forward who was suspended for 30 games this season after being charged with abuse against his ex-girlfriend. He pleaded guilty to some counts last year, but he was arrested again in October on allegations of another violent incident with the same woman. It is unlikely that Brooklyn would be interested in the other Bridges.
